Coop's New Partner
by IrenaAdler
Summary: Coop might finally have a work partner he can live with. Warning: This takes place in my slash verse where Don/Will and Coop are 'friends with benefits'. Nothing explicit. Pt 4 - Will and Don question Coop's freeloading. Complete.
1. Chapter 1 Dinner Plans

**Coop's New Partner—**

**Part 1 – Dinner Plans**

It was Saturday afternoon and Will and Don were arguing amiably about what to do for the evening. On the table were going to the batting cages, the latest Bond movie, a race on in-line skates around the neighborhood, or checking to see if Nena needed some Uncle time. Also under debate was what to do for dinner. Will was uninspired about cooking and Don didn't have any particular suggestions for places to eat out.

Don's phone rang and he glanced at the Caller ID before answering.

"Coop, hey!" he said.

"Hey, Eppes," Coop's gravelly voice responded. "You in the middle of a firefight?"

Don chuckled. "Naw, just a food fight, as in what to eat for dinner."

"So you and him gonna be around tonight?"

"Sure, sure, you in town?"

"Will be. And I'd like you to meet my new partner."

Don sat up straight. "You got a new partner? That you haven't killed or ditched yet?"

"Yeah. She's the second best partner I've ever had."

"_She?_" Don laughed in surprise. "Billy 'Male Chauvinist' Cooper has a female partner?"

"I'm a southern gentleman," Coop said. "It's just in my nature to shelter and protect women."

"And that's what you do to your new partner, shelter and protect?" Don shared an amused look with Will who was listening to his half of the conversation.

"She'd bite my face off."

"Then …?"

"Just ask Dutch how I treat her."

"'Dutch'? Her name is 'Dutch'?"

"It's not her real name but she prefers it."

"Okay, then we're dying to meet her." Don raised his eyebrows at Will who nodded. "When do you think you'll get here?"

"Couple, three hours."

Will interrupted. "Ask him what she eats."

Don said into the phone, "Will wants to know what she eats."

"She's a carnivore, like me," Coop answered.

"Meat," Don said to Will.

Will said, "How about ribs? I've got that slab in the freezer."

"Ribs?" Don asked Coop.

"Hell, yeah," Coop said. "See you soon."

Coop ended the call and Don set the phone down. "Guess that decides dinner."

"A woman …" Will said, shaking his head. "Must be some woman."

"Yeah …" Don said, still stunned. Then he shook himself. The questions would be answered soon and he should try not to pre-judge Coop's new partner – as long as Don still held that top spot as 'best partner ever'.

Don said, "How about that skate race around the neighborhood, then?"

"I need to start the ribs first," Will said. He stood up, that look on his face that said his brain had gone into cooking mode. "A fast defrost, then I'm thinking the Texas Crutch method, no, not enough time, it'll have to be the Rendezvous method. And maybe a Tennessee Whisky sauce, no, those are good ribs, just a dry rub. Then we'll need potatoes. Don't have enough time to make real baked beans …" His voice trailed off as he headed towards the garage and the chest freezer.

Don smiled to himself and went to find their skates.


	2. Chapter 2 Meet the Partner

**Coop's New Partner—**

**Part 2 – Meet the Partner**

Three hours later, the ribs and the rest of dinner were almost ready and Don and Will were both recovering from their race around the neighborhood.

"You cheated," Don called as he put the skates back into the spare bedroom.

"Poor loser!" Will called back from the kitchen.

"I didn't know it was going to be a contact sport," Don grumbled as he set the table for four.

"Just a little friendly jostling," Will said cheerfully.

"Where did you learn it, the roller derby?"

"Rollergirls would wipe the floor with you!"

Don snorted. "You _watch_ roller derby?"

"Just seen in it movies. I'd think watching scantily-clad women beating each other up would be more in your line."

Luckily for Don's lack of come-back, he heard a car in the driveway. "Coop's here!"

"Perfect timing!" Will said, but he was probably just referring to the cooking.

On cue, both cats trotted up to the door and sat down, waiting. Monster, in particular, loved Coop. Don hurried to finish setting the table then went to open the door.

As he approached the door, the cats suddenly shifted mood. Their ears went back, the fur on the back of their necks stood up and they crouched down. Don frowned and picked up his gun from the side table.

He opened the door cautiously, but it was just Coop coming up the sidewalk. He tucked his gun in the back of his belt and said, "Coop!"

"Hey, Eppes," Coop said. He looked his usual scruffy wonderful self, maybe a little less tired than he usually looked when he stopped by.

Will came up behind Don and said, "Billy!" Out of the side of his mouth, Will asked Don, "What the Hell?" He'd obviously noticed the cats' tension and the gun.

"Where's your wonderful partner?" Don asked.

Coop grinned, a familiar cocky grin, and called, "Dutch!"

Around the front of Coop's car came a big, beautiful … dog.

Will and Don laughed. "A dog?"

"Meet Dutch, formal name Duchess."

The dog was shepherd-like in size, with a white undercoat and a light gold overcoat. She slowed to a walk and came closer.

As she approached, Don and Will's smiles vanished. Dutch was walking stiff-legged, her hackles up, her eyes fixed on the cats. The cats both began a low growl.

"Coop …" Don said, his brain spinning as he tried to figure out what he would do if the dog attacked the cats. _I'll have to jump between them, and damn the consequences._

Still grinning, Coop let the tension spin out for a few agonizing seconds then snapped out, "_Spielzeit_!"

Whatever the command was, it must have meant something like 'At ease' or 'These are friends' because Dutch suddenly transformed from a threatening dog to a total puppy. She yipped and bounced around, going down on her front legs and sticking her rear up in the air like dogs did when they wanted to play. Her tail was going madly and she spun about, before doing the play bow again.

Don and Will relaxed at the display. The cats relaxed, too. Dragon swished his tail, turned and walked back into the house, but Monster responded with the cat equivalent of a 'play bow' and gave a challenging meow. Then he shot out of the house, right past Dutch, and the chase was on.

The three men laughed as Monster and Dutch raced around the front yard, chasing each other and having a ball.

"What kind of dog is she?" Will asked.

"Long-haired white German Shepherd," Coop replied.

"Oh, I've seen them short-haired but not long. She's gorgeous."

Coop chuckled. "Make sure you tell her that, ladies love the compliments."

"Should have known that you'd never get a woman for a partner," Don said wryly. "But I've never heard of a dog in Fugitive Retrieval."

"Long story," Coop said. "She started out—"

"Over dinner!" Will interrupted.

Coop nodded eagerly. He put his lower lip between his teeth and whistled. Dutch immediately dashed up to them, her tongue hanging down.

"We don't have any dog food," Don said.

"It's okay," Coop said. "I feed her dog food but when we run out of that, she just eats what I eat, mostly."

"Is that healthy?" Don asked.

"As long as—"

"Uh-uh," Will interrupted again. "Clean up for supper."

Coop, Don, Monster, and Dutch filed into the house like obedient children. All non-dinner conversation was suspended until after the ribs, mashed potatoes, and green beans were served and tasted.

Dutch's plate was moved to the floor and she was served a rib, meat and all. So the cats didn't feel left out, Will sliced off some meat, chopped it up and put it in the cats' bowls.

After everyone was settled back again, the three animals chewing happily and the three men doing the same, Don said, "Okay, Coop, spill. How did you end up with a dog for a partner?"


	3. Chapter 3 Two Problem Agents

**Coop's New Partner—**

**Part 3 – Two Problem Agents**

"You know Arroyo," Coop said.

"The boss," Don explained to Will.

Coop nodded and continued, "He has saddled me with every partner under the sun – old, young, fat, stupid, guys, girls, everybody."

"And you always find something wrong with them," Don said.

"Either they don't shut up or they're afraid of a gun or they think it can all be done on computers. There hasn't been a real agent in the bunch. It's just been better to work on my own."

"You give them a week at most?" Don asked.

Coop shrugged and took another bite of dinner.

"I'm surprised that you lasted with Don," Will said with a smile.

"I was young and easy-going then."

Don snorted. "Yeah, right. I was just more stubborn than he was."

"True …" Coop reached for another rib. "But it's policy to work in pairs so Arroyo keeps throwing new partners at me, hoping one will stick." He gave his sideways smirk. "I think I'm getting a little bit of a reputation."

Don and Will chuckled at the understatement.

"So," Coop continued. "We share a cafeteria with a bunch of other agencies, including the guys who train dogs for federal K-9 units. I heard two guys talking one day about a dog that they were having trouble with. She was really smart and picked up training instantly, but then she'd lose interest. One guy thought that she got bored easily. The big problem was that they didn't think she'd make a good family pet, either. She didn't like being left alone and would tear up her area. They didn't know what they were going to do with her. I didn't think much about it at the time but later I started thinking that maybe this problem dog might be the answer to my problem, too."

"What did Arroyo think?" Don asked.

"I had to see if Dutch and me got along, first. It took a little time but me and her decided that the other was okay. Then I had to talk Arroyo into it. Not 'policy', you know. But I think he was just tired of dealing with me. Then I had to talk the K-9 people into it. I talked a year's worth that week."

He paused and Will asked, "More beer? I don't think I've ever heard you put so many sentences together, ever."

"I save them up, just for you two," Coop responded. "More beer!"

Coop cleared his plate of mashed potatoes while Will got some more Red Brick Blonde, poured it into a mug and handed it to Coop.

Coop took a sip and said, "It's always like a brewpub here."

"Where is this one from?" Don asked.

"It's from Atlanta Brewing Company," Will answered. "I like their Ale better but thought you two would prefer this one."

"What do you think we do with our garage?" Don asked wryly to Coop. "Certainly don't park the cars in there. It's got Will's stores of, well, everything. It's not a garage, it's a pantry."

Will shrugged, unapologetic. "And you guys reap the benefits."

"True," Don grinned.

Coop had been given a sufficient break and he started up again, "I ended up having to do a two-week course with the K-9 team, learning all the commands and dog care stuff. Then me and her went on our first 'probationary' case. It worked like a dream. She was happy just hanging out in the car with me on stakeout, then when the guy showed and then took off again, she tracked him down and drove him back towards me. The guy was a vicious bastard, but between the two of us, he didn't have a chance."

"Better than by yourself?" Don asked.

"Yeah," Coop admitted. "She doesn't talk all the time and follows commands without arguing with me." He eyed Don. "Unlike some partners."

"I never argued!" Don protested. "Not unless it really mattered."

Coop raised his eyebrows, Don grimaced and Will laughed.


	4. Chapter 4 Cost of Dinner

**Warning: Slashier than other parts.**

**Coop's New Partner—**

**Part 4 – Cost of Dinner**

After an excellent meal, something that Don was terribly spoiled about and tried not to take for granted, it was time to clean up. Will dealt with the leftover food – he'd cooked for four humans, after all – and Coop and Don did the dishes.

As they worked, Don kept a thoughtful eye on Coop. His old partner seemed happier and more relaxed than he had in quite a while. Dutch looked like she was good for him. Thinking about it, Don couldn't imagine a better partner for Coop than a well-trained and devoted dog. He hoped that Dutch and Coop would be together for a long time.

"We didn't know if you planned on staying over tonight," Don said.

"Why not?" Coop asked.

Will and Don exchanged glances and Don replied, "We weren't sure what your new partner would think of, uh, certain aspects of our friendship."

"You mean the sex?" Coop drawled with a smirk. "I don't think Dutch will care."

"That's another reason why she's a good partner for you," Will said. "A woman would care. A _man_ would care even more."

Coop shrugged and reached for another dish. Don couldn't help but wonder if he and Will were part of Coop's problems with finding work partners, that Coop needed someone that wouldn't get upset at their unusual three-way relationship. Don shrugged mentally. Coop had had his partner issues long before they'd entered the picture.

"You two are coming up to help on the cabin this weekend," Coop stated.

"Oh?" Don said, sharing an amused look with Will. "I guess we can check our social calendar."

"We can start on the kitchen wall. Dutch'll love running around in the woods."

"That's all we are to you," Will said with a dramatic sigh. "Free food, board, and manual labor."

"Don't forget the free lovin'" Coop grinned. He tossed aside the towel and leaned back against the counter, his pelvis jutting out in obvious invitation.

"Hmm," Don said, moving closer and running his hands down Coop's nearest strong arm. "I think there should be a charge, don't you, Will?"

"Definitely," Will said. He stepped up to Coop's other side, grabbed his chin, and gave him a hard kiss on the lips. He pulled back and ran a possessive hand down Coop's chest. "Some serious remuneration."

"Just how do you plan on collecting?" Coop responded.

Don pressed his pelvis against Coop's hip. "Between the two of us, I'm sure we can get everything we want out of you."

"Between the two of you, hmm?" Coop smirked. "I'd be fine with that."

Don chuckled and took hold of one of Coop's arms as Will took the other one.

"C'mon, Agent Cooper," Will said, his voice dropping lower in the husky way that Don loved. "Time for you to start earning your keep."

The three of them moved quickly towards the bedroom and the beckoning bed.

Dutch started to follow them into the bedroom, but Coop shook his head. "_Geh raus_! _Zwinger_! Not this time."

Dutch backed out from the room, looking hurt.

"Maybe your new partner cares more than you think," Don teased.

"She'll be okay," Coop said and pulled Don closer. "Now you were saying something about how I'd have to work for it?"

Don grinned in anticipation and Will turned to shut the door behind them.

The bedroom door closed, shutting the cats and dog outside. Dutch scratched at the door and whined.

Coop's muffled voice came from inside, "_Lass es_!"

Dutch whined more softly and sat down in front of the door. Dragon swished his tail and then headed into the kitchen and started sniffing for crumbs. Monster crouched down next to Dutch.

Soon groans and thumps could be heard from inside. Monster's ears flicked back and forth, then he turned and stalked over to his cat bed. Dutch turned in a circle then lay down, her nose towards the door. Monster meowed quietly. Dutch swiveled one ear towards him then turned it back towards the bedroom door.

After a moment, Dutch put her head down on her paws and relaxed. Her partner wasn't going to be able to go anywhere without her knowing.


End file.
